Tuesday 17th June

Tuesday, 17 June 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

People across Somerset are being encouraged to record local wildlife as part of 'The Big Count' project, monitoring changes in the diversity and abundance of wildlife in the County. A further £1 million is being spent improving flood defences in Somerset. A Yeovil care worker has been honoured for her work at a ceremony in London...and more

People across Somerset are being encouraged to record local wildlife to help protect local animal and bird life. Somerset Wildlife Trust says 'The Big Count' needs as many people as possible to record wildlife in local gardens, parks, and community green spaces to monitor changes in the diversity and abundance of wildlife in the County.

A further £1 million is being spent on improving flood defences in Somerset. Somerset Rivers Authority and the Environment Agency are improving the riverbanks and removing silt on the River Sowy to ensure water can flow more quickly. £900,000 is being spent on raising the riverbanks on the Sowy, with the remainder allocated to farmers to cover the costs of local flooding prevention schemes.

Somerset Council is reminding people that they have until August 8th to comment on plans to merge Huish Episcopi Parish Council and Langport Town Council into a single new parish council covering the same area. A final decision will be made by Somerset Council’s Constitution and Governance Committee in September, with the change likely to take effect in April 2027

A care worker from Yeovil has been honoured at a ceremony in London. Kim Retter has been given a lifetime achievement award at the Housing with Care Awards.

Nominations are now open for the 2025 Youth Parliament Elections in Somerset. It’s open to young people aged 11–17 years who live in and attend school or college in the County. Somerset Youth Parliament is a space for young people to learn new skills, grow confidence, share their views, and get involved in current issues to make a difference.

A set of Somerset church bells that have been silent for more than 100 years have rung out once again. The bell mechanism at St Andrew's Church in Compton Dundon fell into disrepair in the 1900s, and by 1935, the bells were 'hung dead' in a fixed position facing down. But now, after a six-year campaign by villagers to raise £160,000, the bells have been brought back to life.

More from News

Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more